Jurgen Klopp has previously hailed Liverpool and Manchester United target Darwin Nunez as a ‘really good player’ and tipped the Benfica forward to enjoy a ‘big career’.
Recent reports say Liverpool are prepared to sanction a club-record deal for Nunez, who scored 34 goals in 41 games for Benfica last season.
The Uruguayan’s breakthrough campaign has also attracted interest from Man United but it appears that Liverpool are at the front of the queue to agree a deal worth £85m.
Klopp praised Nunez before and after Liverpool’s Champions League tie against Benfica last season, telling reporters: ‘An extremely good looking boy, and a decent player as well.
‘Really good, really good. I knew it before but he played pretty much in front of me. Physically strong, quick, was calm with his finish. Really good. If he stays healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him.’
Klopp also singled out Nunez as Benfica’s biggest danger prior to his side’s Champions League win.
Asked how crucial it will be to stop Nunez in the first leg of the quarter-final clash, Klopp added: ‘He’s not the only one. They have a really good team, I have to say!
‘A really good team with a good way of playing. But yes, he is [their danger man], he’s a good striker. The next one from Uruguay! I don’t know how they’re going to play together: Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez and him in one team.
‘That’s probably a challenge as well, to put that in place. But he’s a top boy. And yes the goals he scored, obviously the one against Ajax in Amsterdam that was a massive one, big one. Yes in the group stages [against Barcelona] as well.
‘So he’s not shy. He did not start the last game, he came on at half-time because of coming back from international duties. So we expect him to start tomorrow and we have to make sure he will not get a lot of balls.’
Nunez, 22, wants to secure a big move away from Benfica this summer and looks set to join a Liverpool squad who won two trophies last season, reached the Champions League final and finished one point behind Premier League champions Manchester City.
Klopp will be particularly keen to welcome Nunez through the doors at Anfield as Sadio Mane edges closer to a move to Bayern Munich and Mohamed Salah continues to be linked with a move.
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